Nasrallah Rejects 'Submission' in KSA Row, Says Hizbullah Not Dominating Lebanon
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday said he does not want to “escalate” things in the diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia but stressed that Lebanon should reject “submission and humiliation.”
“Saudi Arabia stirred the latest crisis with Lebanon and we want things to calm down,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech marking Hizbullah’s Martyr Day.
Noting that Information Minister George Kordahi “did not attack anyone and did not use harsh terms,” Nasrallah said the Saudi reaction was “very, very exaggerated and incomprehensible.”
“The same remarks had been voiced by Arab and international officials,” he pointed out.
“Saudi Arabia, which claims to be an Islamic country, did not react to the insulting of the Prophet by officials in several countries,” he said.
“Saudi Arabia presents itself as a friend of Lebanon and the Lebanese people and it has a problem with Hizbullah, which we acknowledge, but is this how friends deal with their friends?” Nasrallah wondered.
He added that the resignation of former foreign minister Charbel Wehbe over remarks that also infuriated Saudi Arabia was a “mistake” that “opened the door to the current pressures.”
Noting that the possible “resignation or sacking” of Kordahi should not happen in “a sovereign, free, dignified and honorable state,” Nasrallah said such a move would not “solve the problem.”
“To those who have called on the information minister to put national interest first, is national interest in heeding anything requested by foreign forces? The Saudi demands and conditions are endless in Lebanon and does national interest lie in submission and humiliation?” Hizbullah’s leader added.
Nasrallah also charged that Saudi Arabia “wants its allies in Lebanon to fight a civil war against Hizbullah,” adding that some of his group’s rivals in Lebanon are against such a scheme while some of them lack the ability to implement it.
“The Saudi foreign minister himself acknowledged that his problem with Lebanon is with Hizbullah, especially regarding the Yemeni issue, and Saudi claims about Iranian occupation of Lebanon are silly,” he went on to say.
Rejecting accusations by the Saudi FM about Hizbullah’s “domination” of Lebanon, Nasrallah said: “There are forces that are much less stronger than us who have bigger influence over the state, especially over the judiciary.”
“Are we a party that is dominating Lebanon while we are unable to influence the recusal of a judge from a certain file?” Nasrallah added, referring to his party’s demand that Judge Tarek Bitar be removed from the Beirut port blast case over alleged “bias.”
“Are we a party that is dominating Lebanon while we’re unable to bring diesel ships to Lebanese shores and while no one listens to us about restoring coordination and ties with Syria and the Orient?” Nasrallah went on to say.
“We are influential in Lebanon but we are not dominating the country. Others have more influence over the Lebanese state, institutions and army,” he said.
Commenting on media reports, Nasrallah said tt is not true that Iran asked Riyadh to “talk to Hizbullah” about Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
“If you want to stop the war, the only way for that is that you accept ceasing fire and lifting the siege,” Nasrallah added, addressing the Saudis.
“The victories in Yemen were created by Yemeni leaders and brains and by Yemeni miracles and a divine victory,” Nasrallah stressed, denying that his group is playing a role in any Houthi advances.
As for the tensions with Israel, Nasrallah said that “for the first time in the history of this entity, it is afraid of Lebanon.”
“It is afraid that Lebanon might invade parts of its north,” he said.
“Israel is anxious over Lebanon, Palestine and the region, in addition to its existential concerns,” Nasrallah charged.
Turning to domestic files, Hizbullah’s leader called for “pacification on the judicial verdicts over the latest clashes in Lebanon,” adding that his party is “open to dialogue.”
“We’re continuing our follow-up of the investigations into the Tayyouneh massacre that was deliberately committed by the Lebanese Forces party,” he said.
“Claims that there is a bargain between the Beirut port blast case and the Tayyouneh massacre are totally baseless,” he emphasized.
Source: Naharnet
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